Crème Brûlée Cheesecake Bars

02.14.2014

Two of the worlds best desserts come together to make these unbelievably delicious Crème Brûlée Cheesecake Bars. I don’t think I could express in words how much I love these things! They are a dream come true. Everything about them is absolutely amazing.

The contrast of these bars is part of what makes them just so good. That brittle, perfectly caramelized, crunchy shell atop a silky smooth and richly creamy cheesecake, which rests over a slightly salty, slightly sweet, buttery graham cracker base that crumbles in your mouth with each bite. And then if you really want to go all out, top them with a little lightly sweetened whipped cream (because everything is good topped with a little cream) and then garnish them with fresh raspberries to add a layer of fresh flavor and a light tartness to compliment the tang of the cream cheese.

If you’re like me, you will want to savor each and every last spec of it, and then hide rest from the world because sometimes it just to hard too share something so good :). If you don’t already own a culinary torch, here’s your reason to buy one. Enjoy!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously butter an 8 by 8-inch baking dish. In a mixing bowl, whisk together graham cracker crumbs and sugar. Pour in butter and use a fork to mix until evenly moistened. Press mixture into an even layer in prepared baking dish and bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool while preparing filling. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees.

For the filling:

In a mixing bowl, whisk together 3/4 cup granulated sugar with the flour. Add cream cheese to mixing bowl and using an electric hand mixer set on low speed, blend together cream cheese and granulated sugar mixture just until smooth, about 1 minute. Add in eggs one at a time and mix just until combined after each addition. Add heavy cream, sour cream and vanilla and blend just until combined. Tap bowl forcefully against countertop about 30 times to release air bubbles. Butter the side of the baking dish and pour filling over crust. Set the 8 by 8-inch baking dish into a 13 by 9-inch baking dish (a roasting pan would be fine too) and pour about 3 cups of hot water into the 13 by 9-inch baking dish (or enough water to make the water level reach halfway up the sides of the 8 by 8-inch dish. You are only pouring the water into the pan without the cheesecake in it, simply to create a water bath which will help the cheesecake cook more evenly and reduce the possibility of cracking). Bake in preheated oven until cheesecake is fairly jiggly, about 42 - 45 minutes, then turn oven off and allow cheesecake to rest in warm oven with door closed about 10 minutes longer or until center only slightly jiggles. Remove from oven and allow to cool on a wire rack at room temperature 1 hour, then cover and chill 4 hours.

For the topping:

Cut bars into squares. Sprinkle each square with an even layer of sugar and melt sugar with a culinary torch (it will melt into beads then bubble, then caramelize and turn to a smooth surface). Allow topping to cool then pipe or spoon a small dollop of whipped cream over top, then add a raspberry and garnish with mint (garnish just before serving and melt sugar within several hours of serving for best results). Store in refrigerator in an airtight container.

Anne@FromMySweetHeart: Hi Jaclyn! Just found you through Laura at Tutti Dolci and so glad I did. You have a beautiful site with such amazing recipes! And these Creme Brulee Cheesecake Bars look amazing. Stunning photos, too! : ) February 14, 2014 at 12:11pmReply

Shari Kelley: Wow, these are so beautiful! Every time I go to your blog I am blown away by the photos. I can’t wait to try these. Our whole family loves crème brulee. Thank you for sharing this recipe with us, Jaclyn! February 14, 2014 at 2:38pmReply

Jaclyn: Thanks so much for the compliment Shari! February 14, 2014 at 5:56pmReply

Averie @ Averie Cooks: Jaclyn! They’re so gorgeous! And I love the contrasting colors with the dark/light and that pop of red! So beautiful! pinned of course! February 14, 2014 at 2:40pmReply

Charmaine (The Party DIY): My husband absolutely LOVES cheesecake and if I somehow can find a way to make these babies without completely burning the dessert he may not want to eat anything else haha. February 14, 2014 at 4:03pmReply

Jaclyn: Haha I hope you do make them Charmaine! I’ve found to sometimes do it in thinner layers it helps reduce the possibility of burning – then again I was too impatient to do that myself so ended up with a few dark spots as you can see :). I just say it added more depth of flavor. February 14, 2014 at 5:59pmReply

Ellen: Jaclyn! I didn’t realize you were my Pinterest friend. :) I also didn’t realize that so many recipes that you pin are actually yours personally from your blog! You now have a new fan. I’ll have to go back through past posts and also share it with a few friends so that they can follow you too! February 14, 2014 at 4:07pmReply

Jaclyn: I’m so happy to have a new fan Ellen :)! Thanks so much for sharing!! February 14, 2014 at 5:55pmReply

Julia @Vikalinka: Two of my favourite things together-cheesecake and creme brulee! Wow. The photos are gorgeous too. I think it’s time to put my new blow torch to a good use. :-) February 15, 2014 at 3:23amReply

Colleen Murphy: I made these for my family last night. I made it as a traditional round cheesecake though. They were beautiful. I used light cream cheese, cream and sour cream also. But I think my children’s favourite part was caramelising the sugar with the culinary torch. February 16, 2014 at 3:11pmReply

Jaclyn: I’m so glad your family enjoyed these Colleen and that you were able to make them together, how fun! Thanks for your comment! February 17, 2014 at 1:08pmReply

Diane: These look so elegant!

I am wondering if the topping stays nice & crispy after refrigerating… February 18, 2014 at 10:24pmReply

Jaclyn: Mine did for about 6 hours but that time could probably vary. I hope you try them Diane :)! February 18, 2014 at 10:41pmReply

Emmie: This looks amazing! I love cheesecake and I love creme brulee, so this definitely can’t be a bad thing.

I’ve been thinking about purchasing a culinary blowtorch for a while now. Which brand do you have? Is it safe and easy to use? (They do scare me a little.) February 22, 2014 at 1:51amReply

Jaclyn: I have this one here: http://www.crateandbarrel.com/culinary-torch/s447463
I probably couldn’t give the best review on it as it’s the only kitchen torch I’ve ever owned. So far it has worked just fine for me, the only thing I wish is that it had a bigger flame, sometimes I feel like it can take a while to get the whole thing torched – but maybe they are all like that. February 25, 2014 at 11:20pmReply

Kerry: Oh my culinary goodness!!! So excited to try these tomorrow!!!! February 22, 2014 at 10:10pmReply

Yari: I just want to say thank you for this recipe! I made them for my best friend’s bachelorette party and they were a hit! They are an amazing combination of creme brulee and cheesecake! July 27, 2014 at 7:17amReply

Jaclyn: I’m so happy to hear they were a hit Yari! Thanks for leaving a comment! August 13, 2014 at 8:58pmReply

Jaclyn: Without the bruleed topping that would be fine, I’d burlee the tops after freezing and thawing. August 13, 2014 at 8:57pmReply

Caitlyn: Do you have a substitute for heavy cream that could work, its impossible to find it anywhere, where I live. July 31, 2014 at 2:59pmReply

Jaclyn: Regular whipping cream would work fine. August 28, 2014 at 8:34pmReply

Carolyn Griffin: Tried this recipe this weekend. It was great! Husband says is a “keeper”. The cheese cake layer is so creamy. The creme brulee topping was a crunchy touch. I used blueberries for garnish with the whipped cream. A hit! August 3, 2014 at 2:32amReply

Jaclyn: I’m so happy to hear they were a hit! Thanks for your comment Carolyn! August 3, 2014 at 9:36amReply

Paola: I made these for a baby shower and used blueberries because it was a for a boy! Huge success! thank you for the recipe! August 27, 2014 at 3:30pmReply

Mimi D.: Hi There! These look amazing! I do have a question about the texture: Do they have the exact cheesecake texture or are they a mix of both custard and cheesecake? The reason why I am asking is because a friend of mine (who will not share a similar recipe) made “cheese cake” like bars but they also had a custard texture to them with fruit inside.

Jaclyn: They have a cheesecake texture because otherwise I didn’t think they’d hold their shape well once cut if it was custard like. September 6, 2014 at 11:14pmReply

Mercedes: Just tried these this weekend for a dinner party. They were spectacular! I twisted the crust recipe a bit and added finely shredded coconut. Delish! Thanks for sharing. September 28, 2014 at 8:21amReply

Ada: Hi Jaclyn,

Can this recipe be doubled and baked in a 9 x 13 inch pan? January 11, 2015 at 1:42pmReply

Ada: It’s me again. Can this be baked the night before? January 11, 2015 at 1:43pmReply

Jaclyn: I think that should be fine, it may need to bake a little longer as the bars will be a bit thicker. 1 1/2 of the recipe might be even better. January 15, 2015 at 8:57pmReply

Beth: Hi Jaclyn!
Can I use the ready made pie crust instead? May 22, 2015 at 7:00amReply

Jaclyn: That should be just fine. Different flavor but still good. I hope you love them! June 20, 2015 at 10:29pmReply

Elizabeth: The cheesecake ingredients look the same as a classic cheesecake ( w the exception of the heavy cream) so does that mean I could double the recipe and pour the batter into a 9″ springform pan and it still come out great?

I made the bars last year and they were amazing! Just want to know if it’ll work for a 9″! June 21, 2015 at 6:56amReply

Jaclyn: It would but it would be a pretty shallow cheesecake so I would double the recipe (and only use 5 eggs). I’m glad you liked the bars :)! June 22, 2015 at 10:08pmReply

Paulette Gleason: Hi Jaclyn, I will definitely make these bars. I love Creme Brule. when I make your Key Lime cup cakes which I have made several times because they are such a BIG HIT I put the graham crackers and the butter together in my food processor I find this work much faster. July 15, 2015 at 12:32pmReply

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